Time
by Ceu Praca
Summary: I had nothing left to live for. I had already died with my family; only my body stayed breathing, and I was hoping to end that. I wanted to die, and coming to Ikana seemed like a good way to do it...
1. Ghareana

**A/N1: **Okay, Wolven, you wanna kill me yet? XD Yes, _another_ story from yours truly. This takes place twenty-eight years after the events of Majora's Mask, and is from the point of view of an OC of mine. You'll find out more about her as the story progresses; the first chapter is kind of weird. :P

**A/N2: **This takes place in my Alternate Universe, the Dragonverse. The Dragon Series is where a lot of things are very different from canon, yet somehow make a lot more sense than canon a lot of the time. This particular tale is a little more AU than my other Dragonverse stories. Anyway, usual disclaimers and stuff. I'm not Shigeru Miyamoto, and therefore, I don't own the Legend of Zelda. Unfortunately. :P

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**1: ****_Gahreana_**

Ikana was widely known as the cursed land, the place of ghosts. Few who went there came back in one piece, and those who did told stories of walking dead, monstrous wolves, and a mysterious race of people known only as the Garo, who were faster than shadow and merciless to outsiders. It was well-known throughout Termina that Ikana was a place you went only if you wanted to die.

And honestly? I had nothing left to live for. I had already died with my family; only my body stayed breathing, and I was hoping to end that. I wanted to die, and coming to Ikana seemed like a good way to do it. This place seemed empty, though. Not even a bombchu in sight; just dusty brown rocks wherever I looked, and a fork in the road. One of the roads ended up leading to some kind of odd house, so I turned and went the other way, but I was blocked by a cliff that was impossible to climb, so I just stood there, looking around.

_Okay, Garo, where are you? Any hungry wolves hereabouts?_ I kicked a small stone, frustrated; the Garo must live past the cliff, where I couldn't reach. There was nothing here, just dust, rocks, and…a person. No, not a person, something else. It looked like a scrawny, hunched-over man, wrapped from head to toe in dirty bandages. _What is that?_

I crept closer, but it didn't move; just stood there, watching me with glowing, yellow eyes. "Are you a Garo?" I finally asked, walking boldly to stand only a foot away from it.

"_Hnnrnnn_…" it groaned softly, opening a ghastly, fang-filled mouth, rotting, brown skin barely visible underneath the bandages.

_Well, I wanted to die. Even if it's not a Garo, it's scary enough that it could probably kill me._ I held out one hand towards it with a shrug. "Just murder me quickly and get it over with, please."

It tilted its head to one side, as though measuring me, then abruptly pounced with an agility that belied its hunched shape, and I screamed as those razor-sharp fangs tore deep into my flesh, one of its long legs hooking around my waist to pin me to the ground; I felt horrible, burning pain as my life started to fade, and those yellow eyes were all I could see before everything went dark.

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**A/N:** That sound the creature made, _Hnnrnnn_, is really fun to imitate. Go on, try it. It sounds hilarious!


	2. Scarred

**A/N:** Yay, this chapter is longer than the first one!

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**2: Scarred**

My arm was aching dully, which meant that I wasn't dead. I didn't think a person could experience pain after death; when I opened my eyes and saw a roof, that only confirmed it. I wasn't dead yet. I slowly sat up, wincing at the burning in my upper arm, but I found that it was totally healed somehow. I was in a large, stone room with pillars and a shallow pond, sitting on what looked like a soft cloak of some sort, and there was a large, dark shadow hunched over at the base of one pillar, glowing, green eyes staring at me.

Whoever it was, it wore a thick, brown cloak that covered its body down to its knees, and its legs were covered by soft-looking, flexible boots; there was a hood over its head, so I couldn't tell what its face looked like, but I was feeling angry at it now. "You ruined my death, you idiot!" I shouted, standing up and almost falling over at a rush of dizziness.

The whatever-it-was lunged, flickering to stand by my side before I could even register the movement, a strong hand holding my arm to steady me. "_Stuara elanoha_," it hissed, pushing me back down into a sitting position.

"Let go of me, you creep!" I snapped, shoving at it and trying to stand up again, but it seemed to almost warp, suddenly appearing on my other side, the hand now gripping my shoulder with a strength that forced me to freeze. It didn't say anything further, and, after a long moment of tense silence, I huffed. "What do you want with me? Why did you take me away from that thing?"

_"Laekera rikae insii ma kiraes faela kiraesalaeka_," it growled, flitting around to sit in front of me, still holding me by my shoulder.

"If you want me to understand you, you need to speak the same language as me," I replied, rolling my eyes. "I didn't get any of that."

Its eyes seemed to glow slightly brighter. "I will not let you kill yourself," it said with a low, male voice that sounded shockingly normal, considering what the thing looked like.

"It's my life, and you don't have authority over me; you're not 'letting' me do anything," I answered irately, trying to pull myself out of its grip and failing.

"Quite contrary, I saved your life, which means that I am now responsible for you," it countered with a quiet chuckle.

"_What_?!" I yelped, causing the whole cavern to echo.

"It's an old code of honor. When you save a life, you must take responsibility for it. Therefore, you're stuck with me until I decide to let you go."

I shook my head vehemently. "No, no, that's not gonna happen! Let go of me, and let me get killed by that Garo!"

Its eyes flickered. "Garo? That was _not_ a Garo. That was a _Gahreana_. Not even close. If you're planning on committing suicide, at least be familiar with the means of death."

"What's a _Gahreana_?" I asked, letting my innate curiosity get the better of me for an instant.

"In the common tongue, they are called Gibdos. Flesh eaters. It would have literally eaten you alive, ripping off small mouthfuls of your flesh in a process that can sometimes take hours. You would probably die from the sheer pain before it even reaches your vitals."

I shuddered. _Okay, maybe I need to choose a more painless means of death._ "Then why don't you just kill me?"

It shook its head. "No."

_Fine, then, I'll just figure out a better way. While I'm sitting here, I may as well learn who this is._ "What are you?"

"Well, I'm wearing a Garo robe…"

"_You_ are a Garo?" I repeated disbelievingly.

"No. I'm just wearing one of their robes."

"Then what are you?" I asked again, aggravated.

"That's none of your business," it replied, chuckling again. "Now, while you're stuck here, I may as well learn a bit more about you, my suicidal friend," it said condescendingly, patting my shoulder.

"I'm not your friend," I snapped, flinching away from its hand.

"You're a fiery one," it laughed, a surprisingly deep, pleasant sound. "What is your name, little fire?"

I glared at it. _Now this thing is just_ trying_ to get on my nerves._ When I didn't answer, it leaned closer until the top of its hood brushed against my forehead; I shivered, drawing back. "Isabel."

It leaned back, seemingly satisfied with that answer. "And how old are you?"

I glowered at it. "Twenty-three."

"Why do you want to die?"

I flinched. "That's none of your business. Just let me go."

"Sorry, I can't do that," it replied, shaking its head. "Like I said, I'm responsible for you now. And right now, I want you to stay here."

"I'm a grown woman; you can't tell me what to do!" I snapped.

"That's where you're misunderstanding me," it said, sounding amused. "I'm not _telling_ you. You don't really have much of a choice."

I tried a different angle. "Do you really want to be cooped up in a cave with a suicidal girl? It'll just create stress and problems for you. I'm an inconvenience."

One, gloved hand stroked my cheek with exaggerated care. "Lucky for you that I don't have anywhere I need to be, then."

I scowled, jerking my head away. "Don't patronize me. Just show me the way out of here, and I'll go back to Clock Town and not kill myself."

It scoffed. "You think I believe that? You tried to sacrifice yourself to a Gibdo, Isabel."

I cringed. "Don't…don't call me that. Please."

"You have a problem with your own name?" it asked softly.

"I just…don't want to you use my name."_ It's not my name anymore; that part of me died with my family._

Its robe lifted in a shrug, hood tilting to one side. "Very well. But I shall have to call you something, little fire."

"Call me dead. I don't have a life anyway."

It stared at me for a long, unnerving moment, then chuckled. "I'll call you Raili, then."

"_Riley_?" I repeated, startled. "That's a guy's name!"

"I said _Raili_, not Riley."

"What's the difference?"

"Spelling," it answered with a laugh.

"Sorry, I can't _hear_ spelling."

"Then it shouldn't matter, should it?"

I glared at it. "Why 'Raili?'"

"It means fire."

I felt my frustration subside slightly at that. _Oh. Fire. Considering how he's been calling me that the whole time, I guess it makes sense. Raili…I kind of like the sound of that…_ "And just who the heck are you?" I demanded abruptly, angry at myself for getting sidetracked.

It shrugged again. "I have been known by many names throughout the ages, little fire. You may simply call me Time."

"Time?" I echoed. "Are you trying to say that you're time incarnate, or what? That is the strangest name I have ever heard."

Another chuckle. "I am time, time is me, time controls me, but I control time. I can sense the turn of the world, the passing of the sun, the changing of the moon. I can change the past and see the future. A paradox without end, that is who I am."

I blinked, startled._ It controls time? It can change the past?_ For the first moment in a year, I felt…hope. "Can you…could you change _my_ past?"

It seemed to stiffen. "I could. But I will not."

"Why not?" I protested. "If you could change my past, it would mean I won't have to kill myself! Please!"

It sighed, placing both hands on my shoulders. "I am sorry, Raili, but I cannot. I will not. The ability to control time is a gift, but it is also a curse. I know that to manipulate fate is not wise. One seemingly insignificant choice can bring about hope or utter destruction. Again, I am sorry, but I have to say no."

I felt dissatisfied, but whether I liked it or not, it actually made sense, why it couldn't mess with the past. "So are you…human? Or something else? Are you from Termina or the immortal realm?"

"I am not from the immortal realm," it responded, sounding oddly relieved. "But I am not Terminan either. I am human, yes."

"You're human? Prove it," I demanded. "You look like a creepy wraith!"

Silence. It didn't move or speak for nearly a full minute, just…watching me. Finally, after I started to get worried, it nodded slightly, reaching up and hooking its fingers under the edge of its hood. To my surprise, the entire hood was pulled off of the cloak, almost like a helmet, revealing the lean, angular face of a man, light blonde hair sticking up in all directions.

I gaped at him, taken aback. He had a tanned, weathered look to him and a long, jagged scar that slashed from his forehead over his right eye down to his jaw line; it looked like he was blind in that orb, it was a pale, milky color compared to the piercing, sapphire-blue of his other eye. Another scar sliced from his ear across one side of his mouth, giving him an eerie, perpetual smirk. If not for those terrible disfigurements, he might have once been considered quite handsome, but he definitely wasn't anymore. His one eye that still worked was alert and piercing, at odds with the dead stare coming from the other side of his face.

He pulled the cloak off as well to reveal a sinewy, well-muscled figure that was covered only by a pair of pants, his boots coming almost up to his knees, many scars covering his torso and arms that looked to have been given by all kinds of things; some were huge and covered half his body, and others were small and thin.

"You seem surprised," he said dryly, tossing the cloak and hood to one side and standing up to retrieve a shirt from a wicker basket that had been sitting, unnoticed by me, at the base of one of the stone pillars.

"You're, um…not what I was expecting," I finally choked out, still looking at him and all-too-aware of that, mentally kicking myself for staring. _What could have happened to him? He looks horrible!_ The more I forced myself to see past his scars, the more I realized just how young he was. _He can't be much older than me!_

Time came back to sit next to me, pulling the shirt on as he did so; I glimpsed what looked like a black, triangular tattoo of some sort on his shoulder before it was hidden by the cloth, and he grinned, the expression making him look even more ghastly as he nudged my ribs lightly with an elbow. "Have I proved my humanity yet?"

"Uh…yeah," I replied, still eyeing him; the more I studied his face, the worse the scars looked. I also noticed what appeared to be scars from acid burns on one side of his neck. _Who could this man be?_ He looked Terminan, but his movements were too graceful, and I knew that, aside from that cucco-obsessed freak, Grog, there was no such thing as a Terminan with blond hair. "I'm guessing that Time isn't your real name?"

His good eye flashed, although the smile remained. "It's the only name I'm giving you. Take it or leave it."

I frowned. "Fine. Time it is. But who _are_ you? Why would some guy dress up like a Garo and live in Ikana?"

"Why would some girl want to feed herself to a Gibdo?" he countered, smirking.

"You're infuriating," I growled.

"You're not the first to tell me that," he answered with a laugh.

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**A/N1:** The language that Time was speaking in at the beginning of the chapter is a language that I invented myself for my Dragonverse stories. Here are the English translations of what he said:

_Stuara elanoha._ = Foolish woman.

_"Laekera rikae insii ma kiraes faela kiraesalaeka."_ = I will not let you kill yourself.

**A/N2:** With the exception of Grog the cucco-guy, there is not a _single_ human in Termina that has blond/yellow hair. They're all brunettes, gray-haired, red-heads, or bald! That's not counting the ones who have purple, blue, or green hair for whatever reason. So I'm pretty sure that Link's blond hair would definitely look strange to a Terminan and set him apart.

**A/N3: **I'm sure you all know who Time _really_ is. Yes, he looks ugly. To be honest, I got really sick of the perfect, untouchable, super-handsome hero; Link's been in a lot of battles, and he's not going to look pretty and stunning anymore. He's not a superhuman who can dodge every attack, and he's going to suffer some wounds. Fire-breathing dragons, a dark shadow of himself, giant spiders, whip-wielding maniacs...he's been through a lot, and he's quite beat up because of it. Yes, Raili is repulsed by his scars. Scars are disfiguring; anyone who tells you otherwise is an idiot. They are not 'pretty' or 'decorative.' As someone who has a few scars herself and has interacted with dozens of war veterans, I can tell you that they are ugly, and, depending on where they are, can make a person look hideous.


	3. Maybe

**3: Maybe**

"You're really not going to tell me why you're in Ikana?" I persisted. "This is the place of the dead; why would you live here voluntarily?"

He chuckled. "I don't like people much, and they don't like me. Ikana is perfect; isolated, and the only creatures that dwell here don't bother me at all. Even the Garo leave me alone."

"Probably because you're so ugly," I snapped before I could stop myself. He blinked rapidly a few times, but didn't react other than to turn his face away slightly so that his blinded side was all I could see. I bit my lip, suddenly feeling guilty. "I shouldn't have said that."

He shook his head slightly, his features tensed. "It's fine. You're right about that, actually. I am quite ugly, aren't I?"

"Time, I'm sorry," I said quickly, ashamed at myself._ Just insult a wounded man, why don't you? Great work, idiot!_

He shrugged. "I've been called worse. If I got offended by everything negative that people said about me, I would be absolutely miserable. Just drop it, Raili. Forget it."

I clenched my jaw, frustrated at myself; that had been way out of line. It may have been true, but I had no call to be so mean to him, even though he _had_ kidnapped me. He seemed unlikely to say anything more, so I just used the discarded Garo robe as a blanket, laying down and watching him cautiously.

He seemed to be ignoring me now, leaning against the stone pillar nearest to me and taking a small, blue wind instrument from a leather pouch that was strapped to his belt, lifting it to his lips and playing a low, ethereal song on it.

I listened carefully, entranced; he may have been physically ugly, but that music was incredibly beautiful, filling the whole cavern with a flowing rhythm that reminded me of a rushing river. _Where did he learn to play music like that?_

I truly didn't understand why he had 'rescued' me. Most people would have looked the other way, but he had intervened, somehow stopping the Gibdo from eating me. I didn't know if he had killed it or scared it off, but he must have some insane courage to have done such a thing.

I still didn't consider life worth living, but my darned curiosity was getting the better of me; I wanted to know more about this mysterious man, and I eventually chose to just wait it out and see what he would do with me. It was oddly reassuring to not have power anymore, to not be able to make any decisions myself. Whoever this strange, music-playing man was, being stuck in a cave with him was definitely better that having a big, empty house to myself in Clock Town. I just needed to make myself see past his scars.

_And maybe,_ I thought with a yawn. _just maybe, Time can change the past for me._ I finally let myself drift off to sleep, still listening to that beautiful, haunting melody.


	4. Anger

**4: Anger**

Something soft tickled my ear, causing me to yelp and bolt upright, only to collide with something solid and warm. I opened my eyes and found myself hugging a particularly frustrating man, my face practically buried in his chest; Time shook with silent laughter, and I blushed, shoving away from him. "Don't do that!" I growled irritably, embarrassed.

He twirled a long, black feather between his thumb and forefinger, chuckling. "Not my fault that you're ticklish."

I glared at him; he definitely seemed in a better mood now. "What do you want? Why couldn't you have just let me sleep until I was dead?"

"Because I don't want you dead," he answered with a grin, casting the feather to one side and pulling me to my feet.

"Can't you just let me sleep? It's not like I have anywhere to be."

"I know, but sleeping in day after day makes you lazy," he told me seriously. "It's not healthy."

"You're not a doctor, you're a time lord," I retorted. "If you're going to be keeping me locked up in a cave, the least you can do is let me have a little extra sleep. Otherwise I'm just going to be sitting here bored out of my mind."

"Then I guess we'll just have to think of something to occupy ourselves," he said with a laugh.

I scowled. "Why do you want to keep me here, again?"

"Because I don't trust you to not kill yourself."

"So you don't trust me, and I don't like you…why don't we just part ways?"

Time gave me a stern look, his scars creating a fearsome scowl. "No. Like I said, I'm responsible for you now. Whether you like it or not, Raili, you're stuck with me."

I groaned, sitting back down and burying my head in my arms. "Death by Gibdo would be less painful than this!"

He dragged me back up again by my upper arm, keeping a hold on me to keep me up. "It's not that bad, little fire."

I rolled my eyes, trying to jerk out of his grip, but he was too strong. "Time, let go of me before I bite you."

He laughed again, but didn't obey. "It's your fault for coming to Ikana."

"You're right, next time I'll just go drown myself in the ocean," I snapped, stomping on his toes, but it had no effect. "This is a serious invasion of personal space right now!" I yelled, trying to pry his grip off with my free hand.

He simply grabbed my other arm so that I couldn't do anything, smiling innocently. "You're unnecessarily angry, Raili. Calm down."

"Not until you let go of me!" I snarled, trying to bite him, but he twirled around so that I was pinned with my back against his chest.

"I'm not going to let go of you until you calm down," he answered amusedly. "And biting is for Gibdos; it is not very becoming of a young lady."

I sagged in his arms, defeated. "Fine," I groaned. "You win."

His hands disappeared from my arms, and I bolted as far away from him as possible, climbing up onto one of the stone pillars. To my surprise, when he followed me he was limping, but that limp didn't stop him from joining me on top of the pillar. I recoiled, and he took my hand in his quickly to keep me from jumping back down. "Raili, just relax. I mean you no harm."

"No kidding," I shot back. "That's why I preferred the Gibdo!"

He sighed. "I think we need to get some things straightened out. Can we talk? And I mean _talk_, not have a one-way word assault."

I glowered at him, but nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But stop with the personal space invasion and let go of me."

He nodded as well, sitting down on the pillar and pulling me down with him before releasing my hand from his grip. "First of all, _why_ do you want to kill yourself?"

I tensed, glaring at him, but his half-dead-half-piercing gaze didn't waver. I eventually just gave up. _I'm going to die anyway, it doesn't matter what he knows._ "I have no family and no life. Everything and everyone I ever knew is gone. My family died a year ago, and I have yet to meet a single person who can understand what I'm going through."

Time didn't reply at first, his chin resting in his hands so that his fingers were covering his mouth, his good eye staring at nothing in particular, then he sighed, looking down at his lap. "Inohowoofel," he mumbled through his fingers.

I tilted my head, confused. "What did you just say?"

He sat up straighter, uncovering his mouth and looking into my eyes. "I know how you feel."

"I highly doubt that," I growled.

He shook his head. "My family is gone, Raili. I know _exactly_ how you feel. The only difference between you and me is that I chose to live in isolation rather than kill myself. But believe me, for many years, I _did_ want to die."

I stared at him in surprise. "Really?"

He sighed again, nodding. "Members of my family were killed by…by a monster, many, many years ago. I ended up running away. I tried killing myself numerous times."

"Then you can understand why I want to die," I finally bit out after thinking about that for a moment.

"I can understand it, yes. But I won't allow you to go through with it. Death is not the answer. I learned that the hard way. I'm trying to prevent you from going through the same mess I did."

I hugged my knees, trembling. "Why? Why do you care about me? I'm nobody; no one has ever bothered intervening in my life before, why are you?"

He shrugged. "Maybe because you remind me a lot of myself. I've made a _lot_ of mistakes in my life, such as_ giving up_ on life. I want to keep you from making those same mistakes. Trust me, life _is_ worth living, if you can just find the right reason to keep going forward."

I looked up at him, feeling like the hard, protective shell I'd built around myself had been completely stripped away. I felt exposed; he'd opened my soul so easily, and it frightened me, but at the same time, it was oddly comforting. There was something about this man that made me feel safe for the first time since my family had died. I thought carefully about his words._ Trust me._

_Can I? It can't hurt to try._ "Okay, Time, I…I'll trust you."

He cocked his head, then smiled slightly, reaching out; my first instinct was to draw back, but I forced myself to hold still. To my surprise, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, drawing me close to his side and just holding me there. It was my turn to sigh, leaning into his warmth. It couldn't hurt to let him have control for a while, to see what would happen. I still wasn't entirely sure about what he said about life being worth living, but he was the first person I'd ever met who knew what was going on inside my head.

"Let's make a deal," he said suddenly, turning his head to look down into my eyes.

"What kind of deal?" I asked hesitantly, unsure.

"You agree to live with me for one year. During that time, you don't mention, talk about, or even _think_ about killing yourself. If you still feel the same by the end of the year, then I'll let you go commit suicide, and I won't stop you again. But if you feel differently by then…well, we'll see what happens, won't we?"

I stared at him, contemplating that._ I guess I don't really have much of a choice, do I?_ "Alright. I agree to the deal."

* * *

**A/N:** The whole part about Time wanting to kill himself for a while there...it's just realistic, people. After everything that he's gone through, both in Hyrule and in Termina, it's no surprise that he would have PTSD and severe depression.


	5. Conflict

**Chapter 5: Conflict**

After a while, Time stood up, pulling me with him. "Come on, let's get some sunlight."

I climbed down from the pillar with him and followed him cautiously through the cave until we emerged on a damp, slippery ledge with a massive wall of water pounding down from who-knows where. "Uh…Time?"

"Yes, Raili?"

"How the heck did you manage to carry an unconscious girl through a waterfall?"

"Magic," he laughed, grabbing my hand and raising a fist; there was a green flash, a weird, tingling sensation, and then we were suddenly standing in a field of dry, brittle grass, staring at the outside of a monstrously tall waterfall that poured into a wide, raging river.

I jerked my hand out of his grip and backed away from him, wide-eyed. "We just _teleported_?!"

"Yep," he answered cheerfully, snatching my hand again.

I didn't bother trying to free myself, deciding to just put up with his quirks. _Maybe he's been on his own for so long that he just feels the need for human contact._ "What are we doing, exactly?"

He stared up at the bright, sunny sky for a moment, twisting slightly, then looked off downriver before shrugging. "Just getting some sunlight. Nothing fuels depression more than darkness."

He visibly tensed all of a sudden, his grip on my hand tightening, and he turned quickly, dragging me with him; to my surprise, there was a tall, robed figure standing there. A Garo. A _real_ one, unless there were more crazy people like Time living here.

It walked towards us with a slow, measured pace, and Time dipped his head in a slight bow, his jaw tightening. It spoke in a low, whispering voice that sounded female, the glint of two knives barely visible underneath the voluminous cloak. "_Kiraes sorim inao naesaalin me Ikana. Rethra as retiir vak kiraes. Sha siunla faelit._"

Time whipped out a knife that I hadn't even noticed he had, positioning himself in front of me and snarling ferally at the Garo. "_Ins! Sha as insii ina realna, erro Laekera len insii renna me nillen!_"

I frowned, completely confused now; I had no clue what they were saying, but obviously, Time was angry for whatever reason. The Garo merely extended both knives further out from its cloak, hissing. "_Idan resae menalna kiraes firas faenal, alaniit!_"

Time spat something that sounded like a curse, shoving me away from him, and I yelped as a solid, blue wall of light materialized around me; I tried to escape it, but it was impenetrable. To my horror, the Garo had already attacked in the millisecond that I was distracted, slashing at Time with a ferocious speed that he could barely keep up with. He was obviously nowhere near as skilled with a knife as the assailant was, and was soon driven back, his blade being knocked from his hand and one of the Garo's daggers plunging into his shoulder.

I screamed, bashing at the wall, unable to break it, then froze in shock when a golden streak shot down from the cliffs, tackling the Garo from behind and tearing it off of the man; it was a massive dog-beast with three tails, and it had wrapped its forepaws around the Garo's shoulders, biting savagely at its hood.

Time backed away from the fray quickly. "_Stop_! You'll kill her!"

_Her?_ I thought confusedly. _Why would you care, though? She was trying to kill you! You're crazy!_ The golden beast let go of the Garo abruptly, leaping away to stand beside the man, hackles raised and teeth bared.

The shadow warrior staggered to its feet shakily, sheathing its one remaining knife. "You have broken the law," it gasped in Terminan. "You and your…_pet_ must leave Ikana now, or meet death."

Time bowed slightly, his good eye flashing with anger. "Very well. Just know that you instigated this outcome, not I." He picked up his knife from where he had dropped it and stalked towards me, seemingly ignoring the dagger that was still protruding from his shoulder. The blue wall around me dematerialized, and he took my hand, shuddering and glaring over his shoulder at the Garo. It took a step back, then vanished into thin air, and the large, golden creature trotted over to us, swishing three, bushy tails. Now that I could see it clearly, I realized that it was a fox, with long, pointed ears and solid black eyes; it nosed Time's side, whimpering slightly. He sighed. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"_Fine_?" I exclaimed, having a sudden urge to slap him. "You almost got yourself killed! You have a _knife_ sticking out of you! How is that _fine_?!"

He shrugged, wincing and gingerly pulling the blade out before quickly applying pressure to the deep hole. "Just one more scar to add to the list."

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?" I asked worriedly. Infuriating person or not, if he died, I would be alone again.

He chuckled grimly. "I'm okay, Raili. Just a flesh wound."

"What did that thing want?" I demanded.

"You," he said bluntly. "I broke the treaty."

"_What_ treaty? Stop giving me fragmented answers, you freak!"

I was teetering on the brink of hysteria, and he seemed to realize that, grabbing both of my hands in spite of the fact that he was all bloody now. "Raili, when I moved to Ikana, the Garo told me that I had to keep a low profile, disguise myself as one of them, and either keep their law of killing all outsiders, or not intervene when Ikana itself kept their law. I intervened when I saved you from that Gibdo. I broke their law. Now they want us both dead."

* * *

**A/N1:** Sigh...more foreign language. :P

_"Kiraes sorim inao naesaalin me Ikana. Rethra as retiir vak kiraes. Sha siunla faelit." = _"You bring an outsider to Ikana. Rethra is mad at you. She must die."

_"Ins! Sha as insii ina realna, erro Laekera len insii renna me nillen!_" = "No! She is not a threat, and I do not answer to him!"

_"Idan resae menalna kiraes firas faenal, alaniit!"_ = "We have tolerated you long enough, mongrel!"


	6. Move

**A/N:** Another short-ish chapter, but the past week has really been dragging, so this was all I could write. Hopefully it's not a complete, hopeless jumble. Either way, the Chapter 7 should be better.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Move**

He teleported us back into the cave, the golden fox thing still pressing up against his side like a loyal dog, licking at his free hand. Then it jumped up, tackling the man to the ground; I moved to intervene, but Time held up one hand, stopping me. He merely stared up at that fox, frowning, and the creature snorted before proceeding to lick the knife wound.

He clenched his jaw, obviously in pain, but didn't try to stop the animal, instead looking over at me. "Raili, I'm sorry that this is happening. We have to move, though. We have to leave Ikana before nightfall, or the Garo will fulfill their promise to kill us."

"I couldn't care less where we go," I replied, sitting down and watching cautiously. Whatever the thing was, it was as big as Time, and it was still licking at the man's wound with a single-minded determination. "What it that, exactly?" I finally asked, gesturing to the fox.

"Raili, this is Keaton," he answered, chuckling.

I froze. "_Keaton_? I thought Keaton was a myth!"

The fox made a chortling sound, getting off of the man and very deliberately smacking him in the face with its massive, bushy tails. "I am no more a myth than you are," the creature said in a whispery, melodious voice that sounded more like singing than speech.

Time stood up slowly, wincing and checking his shoulder. "Thank you, by the way," he told the fox."

It huffed. "You are capable of healing yourself; I do not see why you insist on suffering."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't like using my power. You know that."

"What power?" I interrupted, confused.

"It's complicated," he growled, going over to that wicker basket and pulling out a backpack, throwing it over one shoulder before returning to me. "Let's go."

I circled around the fox to stand by his side, seeing with surprise that his wound wasn't bleeding anymore, though it was still raw. "Where are we going?"

He sighed, glancing at Keaton briefly. "South."

"The _swamp_?" I exclaimed. "Are you crazy? No one who goes there ever comes back alive!"

"No different than Ikana, then," he answered with a smirk. "Still, we obviously cannot go to Clock Town. Snowhead is not very habitable for humans, and neither is the ocean. The swamp is really our only other choice."

I followed him reluctantly, noticing that Keaton was trotting alongside, all three tails swishing majestically, its solid black eyes wide and unblinking. "Is the fox supposed to be coming with us?"

He chuckled. "Keaton goes where he wants. If he wants to accompany us, that's his choice. Remember, he's a creature of the immortal realm. He has his own agenda."

"Why did he defend you?"

Time shrugged, looking at the fox as if waiting for an answer. Keaton merely snorted, shaking his head. "Because Relai is a fool who needed defending."

"'Relai?'" I repeated, staring at Time inquiringly. "Your real name is Relai?"

He scowled, using that green-flash trick to teleport us down the cliff and over the iron gates before answering me. "One of my names. Like I said yesterday, I have been known by many names throughout the ages. Relai is simply the name that Keaton calls me by."

"Yes, Keaton and every Garo in Termina," the fox muttered, slapping Time's leg with one paw.

He growled, but otherwise ignored the creature, leading me across Termina Field in the direction of the swamp. "Just…stop trying to learn my name. I have a lot of history behind me, and, for your sake, it needs to remain secret."

I shuddered as we entered the swamp; everything was muddy and smelly, giant insects flitting by our heads. "Fine, but I'll find out eventually, once way or another."

Keaton chuckled, brushing up against my leg. "I like this girl," he purred, licking my hand. "Can we keep her?"

"What 'we?'" Time snarled. "Sorry, Keaton, but I don't remember ever teaming up with you."

"No, you do not, but nevertheless, here I am," the fox chortled.

Time sighed, snatching my hand away from the creature's nose and glaring at it; I giggled, leaning against him. "_Please_ tell me you're not getting possessive over me because of a _fox_!"

His ears reddened, and I laughed, narrowly avoiding stepping into a muddy sinkhole. After a long moment of silence, he muttered something in a foreign language before pulling me down a narrow, overgrown path through the trees. "Keaton is known throughout history as a trickster. Even though he is a good creature, every bit as kindhearted as a fairy, he is not always completely truthful. Even after all these years, I'm not entirely sure whether or not I can trust him."

I looked down at Keaton, afraid that the fox might get offended by such a statement, but it merely huffed, vanishing into thin air. "I wouldn't make an enemy of that thing if I were you," I warned him.

Time shook his head. "Keaton doesn't have 'enemies.' He's quite neutral on a lot of things. I'm not all that worried about it."

"Where are we going? We're in the swamp; why do we have to go through a muddy pond?"

He pulled me through a cave, which led to a beautiful, peaceful clearing. "The Woods of Mystery. This is the safest place in the swamp. We have no enemies here."

* * *

**A/N:** By the way, I know that, canonically, keatons are an entire race of creatures, but in the AU Dragonverse, then there is only one Keaton, and he has a long, interesting story.


	7. Following

**A/N:** This chapter is pretty short, but I couldn't really make it any longer without ruining it.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Following**

Time was pretty efficient when it came to setting up a new camp, spreading a large blanket on the ground and quickly building a small fire. How he managed to get wet wood burning, I didn't know, and I didn't want to question him too much.

"Try to get some sleep," he said curtly, looking around warily. "I won't be gone too long."

"Where are you going?" I asked, surprised.

He shrugged. "May as well gather some food now, before it starts raining again."

I frowned; he was acting pensive all of a sudden, and it was worrying me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Raili. Just hungry. Get some sleep; you're safe here."

"Okay, fine, but don't take too long." I replied, sitting down and watching as he left. I hesitated, then stood and crept after him, knowing that I was probably going to get caught and reprimanded, but I didn't care, I just wanted to know what he was up to. Fortunately, he didn't seem aware that I was following him, instead veering through a series of tunnels in the woods until he reached a thicket of berry bushes.

He began picking the fruit, and I started to think that I was wrong about him being up to anything, then I realized just how _slowly_ he was foraging. "You'd better have a darn good reason for following me," he growled suddenly, causing me to jump.

_Oh, great. Caught._ I scowled, about to respond to him, when a shadowy figure dropped from the trees and I gasped, quickly ducking back under the bushes. It was a Garo.

"I see your powers of observation have not been exaggerated," the Garo answered in a low, male voice, chuckling softly.

Time turned slowly, glaring at the shadow warrior. "Why are you following us? Did Veraim send you to kill me?"

The Garo shook its hooded head slowly. "No, I am not here to kill you, Relai. I must say, Veraim was really mad about your 'hidden ally.' What, exactly, was that invisible thing that defended you from her?"

Time sighed, shaking his head. "Keaton."

"Keaton defended you?" the Garo whispered almost reverently. "You are a special individual, indeed. Maybe Veraim will not be so upset when she finds out that her unidentified assailant was the ancient one."

"Enough stalling, Casia," Time snapped. "What are you doing here? Since when do Garo dare to leave Ikana?"

"This Garo dares," the warrior replied, sounding like it was on the verge of laughing. "I left them. And I refuse to return to them until Rethra lifts this ridiculous sanction on you."

"I appreciate the gesture, but I don't need you defending me from my own father," Time answered dryly.

I froze, stunned. _Time is the son of a Garo?! No wonder he doesn't like it when I ask him questions!_ I started to back up slowly, intent on returning to camp before he figured out that I was there, when the Garo turned in my direction.

"It appears we have a spy," it said amusedly.

_Busted._

* * *

**A/N1:** Yes, Keaton is totally invisible to the Garo. Don't ask me why; you'll find that out much later in the story. Still, even though they can't see him, they can definitely feel him. Especially when he's biting them. XD

**A/N2: **Well, we now have a name for the Garo that attacked Time. Veraim. Doesn't say who she is, exactly, but at least she's not the nameless one anymore. And we have a new character. Wonder who Casia is, exactly? XD


	8. Casia

**A/N:** I'm just going to warn you guys now that this is going to be a much shorter story than my other tales, and thus, things will move along at a slightly faster pace. I've also been having writer's block recently, which is why this chapter is shorter. I might need to take a vacation from my books for a few weeks to de-stress and get my thoughts in order.

* * *

**Chapter** **8:** **Casia**

Surprisingly, Time didn't look angry, merely resigned. "You don't listen to instruction very well, Raili."

The Garo seemed to stiffen. "Raili? That is an interesting name…"

Time glared at it and muttered something in a foreign language before returning his attention to me. "So. Now you know."

"Know what?" I asked, feigning ignorance.

He shook his head. "Don't bother pretending. You must have been following me since I left camp, otherwise you wouldn't even be here. Which means you overheard everything."

"Okay, fine, yes, I eavesdropped," I snapped, frustrated by his calmness._ Most people would be upset at having been followed and spied on, why is he so…relaxed?_ "Just when were you planning on telling me that you're the son of a _Garo_?"

He shrugged. "I didn't think it was information that was necessary for you to know. I have my reasons for keeping things secret. I don't interrogate _you_ about _your_ past, I except you to give me that same courtesy."

"Still, if you're a Garo, why the heck would the Garo want to kill you? It just doesn't make sense!"

"That's a good question," he growled. "One answer to that is that I'm not a Garo."

"But your dad is one, so how can that be possible?"

Time shook his head. "It's complicated. _Very_ complicated."

The Garo said something in that other language, then reached up, pushing back the voluminous hood to show that it was actually wearing a black mask of some sort that covered its entire face; it pulled the mask off, revealing the face of a young man, probably the same age as Time and I, with pure, white hair.

There were three, small scars slicing across his left cheek, but other than that, his skin was flawless, a dark tan, and he stared levelly at me with blood-red eyes. He smirked slightly, bowing his head. "Before you and he argue any further, allow me to introduce myself. I am Casia Jualisan."

"Why do you have red eyes?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

He laughed. "All Garo have red eyes. We are nothing like Terminans."

"Then how come Time doesn't have red eyes?" I challenged.

The man named Casia grinned. "Why do you call him Time? His name is Relai."

"Because he told me his name was Time!" I snapped. "You didn't answer the question!"

"Like I just told you, Raili…it's difficult to explain," Time muttered. "Casia, you need to go back to the Garo. Now."

The Garo folded his arms across his chest, frowning. "No, Relai. I will not. I already said, I am not returning to them until Rethra lifts the sanction against you."

"You know full well that he is powerless to change the law," Time said, scowling. "He may be the chieftain, but he also broke the law once. Veraim and the others will not allow him to alter the code simply to suit his own desires."

I stared at him. "So in addition to being the son of a Garo, you're the son of the Garo _chieftain_? Why are you living alone away from them, then?"

Casia snorted. "Old rules, purism, hierarchy, and traditions that just happen to discriminate against him. As ancient as my people are, you'd think we would have gained more wisdom by now, but apparently not. Unfortunately, Relai is right. Such laws are not easily changed. It would take a miracle to make the Garo welcome him."

"But the fact that his dad is their leader doesn't mean anything?" I pressed, my curiosity spiked.

"The fact that his father is chieftain only complicates things even more, actually," Casia answered, shaking his head. "It is not something that is easily explained to an _alensalin_, so do not inquire further on the matter."

"Then tell me what an _alensalin_ is," I growled.

"It means outsider," Time supplied helpfully, resuming his berry gathering. "Stranger. Non-Garo. Someone not in the loop."

I glared at him, but he pointedly ignored me, seeming to be on edge about something, most likely Casia's presence. "So who is Veraim, then?" I finally asked, trying to learn at least _something_ more about my mysterious companion.

"My mother," Casia replied with a grin. "Relai's grandmother."

_Wait, what?_ I blinked, confused. "Wait, you're…you're Time's…uncle?"

"Yes," came the simple answer.

"And his _grandmother_ tried to _murder_ him?" I exclaimed. "How could someone do such a thing?"

Time shook his head again. "Raili, the Garo society doesn't work the same way as Terminan culture does. For one, family ties aren't always important to them. You could marry your own _cousin _and they wouldn't think twice about it. It's…_other_ relations that they have problems with."

"And unlike Terminans, Garo do not spoil their grandkids," Casia added. "In fact, they're usually the bane of their grandkid's existence."

Time smacked him, muttering something in that other language, and I raised an eyebrow. "If he's your uncle, Time, then why is he acting like he's younger than you?"

Casia shrugged. "Although I'm somewhat embarrassed to say it, Relai, or, as you know him, _Time_, has gone through far more trials and temptations than I have. My life hasn't had too many harrowing experiences to force me to be more serious. I can have my solemn moments, though. I'm not always happy. Mind if I stay with you two for a little while? I might go back to the Garo soon, but right now, I'm pretty mad at Veraim."

"Only if Raili doesn't mind," Time said, looking unsure."

I smiled. "I'm fine with him staying."

* * *

**A/N1: **So, did that explain things better? Veraim is Time's grandmother, and Casia's mother. Casia is Time's uncle, which makes him Rethra's brother, because Rethra is Time's father. Which means that Veraim is Rethra's mother as well. She's sort of like the person who's running the whole operation behind the scenes, falsely making it look like someone other than her in in charge.

**A/N2:** By the way, fun trivia: all of their names mean something in the Garo language. _Relai_ means "Light." _Rethra_ means "Anger." _Veraim_ means "Dream." _Casia_ means "Dare." And _Raili_ means "Fire."


End file.
